Holiday seasons are always really busy for me, so I guess it's not that surprising that I entirely neglected this blog, but...um...sorry for completely neglecting this blog! Here's what I read in November and December.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Publication Date: November 7th, 2023
Read: November 7th - November 10th
Rating: 1/5 stars
The fact that I read this one shouldn't come as much of a surprise, since I've already posted my snarky plot summary. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten that I was also going to write an actual review. But at the same time...maybe do worry. I really don't know if I'm actually going to write that review.
Anyway, Iron Flame was bad in almost every way Fourth Wing was also bad, but it compounded on the problems of Fourth Wing (such as the lack of coherent world building or planning), so I think it was just more noticeable. Maybe by next November or whenever the next book comes out I will have recovered from this book enough to snark about the next one! We can certainly all hope so. Who will summarize the plot of the next three books if I back out now?
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
Publication Date: February 2nd, 2021
Read: November 24th - 28th
Winter's Orbit is a sci fi romance with a political intrigue plot that I admittedly got a little confused by in the middle. So you're telling me that one guy...did this one thing...but then later...what?
Initially I was a bit annoyed by the character dynamics, because what do you mean both of these guys are coming into this arranged marriage convinced they'll never make the other happy...what in the mutually unrequited fake marriage fanfic AU is this? But as the story progressed, it became more clear that there's actually different reasons for each of them to kind of feel that way, and I was more won over. I wasn't ENTIRELY won over, but I was more won over.
Of the fantasy/sci fi romances-with-side-of-political-intrigue I've read in the past year, I think this one might have had one of the stronger intrigue plots, but I was less invested in the romance. A Taste of Gold and Iron remains undefeated as my favorite political intrigue romantasy even though the intrigue in that one is mostly an excuse for Kadou to go to Evemer's house.
Also, when it comes to Winter's Orbit, I've already forgotten the characters' names...oops. I would consider reading the other book set in this universe, though.
 |
| It's giving dragon propaganda poster...slay! |
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Publication Date: October 15th, 2019
Read: December 7th - 10th
Rating: 5/5 stars
People who follow me on Goodreads may know that I also read the second and third installments of the Aurelian Cycle in January, so my opinion of Fireborne is the opinion of someone who has also read its sequels. However, luckily for us, my opinion of Fireborne and of its sequels is very similar! I think they are all very, very good books.
Fireborne is about a world (or, more specifically, a country) that overthrew the ruling class of dragon riders ten years ago in order to institute a meritocracy where anyone who proves themselves can rise to the top - or ride a dragon. The two main characters are dragon riders who are inexorably linked despite coming from very different backgrounds, and the book is about how they react when not only their meritocracy but also their faith in their meritocracy is tested. Like, what happens when the test that is supposed to determine what job you should have for the rest of your life doesn't take learning disabilities into account? What happens when there are food shortages and you suddenly have to decide who has to eat less? What happens when you take teenagers whose families were threatened or killed by dragons when they were children, and ask them to use their dragons to threaten other people's families?
I think this book is really good. There's some slightly awkward exposition at the beginning, but I think that kind of thing can be really hard to avoid when you're trying to quickly set up a world and its history and stakes. I'm a big fan of Annie and Lee as characters and protagonists. Rosaria Munda does a really good job of challenging and pushing both of them, so that you're rooting for them but also terrified of what happens if they make the wrong choice. This series has CONSEQUENCES! Between the two of them, I like Annie slightly more than Lee, but I think that's one of my opinions that is impacted by having read the whole series.
I'm also rather fond of Power, who is not a good person, pre se...but he is a great character! He's an excellent example of someone who's not necessarily likable (even if I do actually like him <3) but whose presence makes the story way better. Sometimes he's the antagonist you can't help but hate, sometimes he's the unlikely ally who sees true potential in the lead. I will have more to say about Power when I eventually write up proper reviews of all three of these books.
Those are the books I read at the end of 2023. I'm not sure if I want to do a separate 2023 wrap-up...maybe I will, because talking about graphs can be fun sometimes. At the end of December I started reading the revised version of City of Bones by Martha Wells, but I didn't finish it until January, so that'll go in the January wrap-up.
That's all!
No comments:
Post a Comment